Reapers
by finalfantasygirl16
Summary: "Am I in hell? This is hell isn't it?" She asked as he deeply sighed and crossed his arms, shaking his head, "You're more of an idiot than I thought. No, this isn't hell for the thousand time!" Vanitas never played well with others and when he gets stuck with the newbie – he has no other choice.


AN: My favorite Vanitas artist on dA is always inspiring me with their beautiful and glorious Vani art~ Anyways this idea was inspired by said art and The World Ends With You and my playlist of endless music. Happy reading~

Summary: "Am I in hell? This is hell isn't it?" She asked as he deeply sighed and crossed his arms, shaking his head, "You're more of an idiot than I thought. No, this isn't hell for the thousand time!" Vanitas never played well with others and when he gets stuck with the newbie – he has no other choice.

Reapers

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First Meeting

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Sirens wailing and people yelling. She wondered why they sounded all distant. The little red car was flipped over on its roof as the girl gripped tightly onto the steering wheel. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't function as her small body shook and her seat belt suffocated her. The emergency air bag did little to save her as her eyes were the only part of her body that were functioning correctly. She felt as the blood dripped down her head, knowing all too well that she had glass shards stuck in her hair and she couldn't feel her lower half as her legs felt paralyzed and her jeans felt soaked with blood. She wanted to scream and cry and beg someone to rescue her as the gasoline leaked out of her car.

She watched as the gas slowly dripped and heard as it ticked down her remaining time in this world as her whimpering stayed deep within her throat. Not long after the gasoline made a trail connecting to the flames coming from the other car. It all happened too soon and she closed her eyes accepting that this was it. The flames seeped into the engine and before anyone could even get to her – she was gone.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Hey Vanitas, you're finally getting a partner" A silver haired Reaper chuckled as he handed the guy the manila folder.

"What?" Vanitas deadpanned as he snatched the folder and mumbled the contents to himself. "Blah blah, freak car accident, yada yada, young girl, mhm, assigned partner to show ropes" He read as he walked past the silver haired Reaper and smacked the folder right into his chest. "This is bull" He says as he walks away before he stops in his tracks, tripping when a pair of thick black metal chained leg cuffs imprison his legs as he deeply sighs and yells, "Alright, already! I'll do the stupid job!" He growls as the leg cuffs disappear.

Getting up he made his way out of the room as he flips off his friend who couldn't stop laughing the entire time. He didn't find his little fiasco amusing at all as he dreaded the fact that he was finally chained down by a partner. Vanitas loved working alone and he made sure it stayed that way for years since he died but now he had no choice. He dodged the bullet too many times and now his superiors expected him to act like a proper Reaper.

Being a Reaper meant living between both worlds in limbo. Heaven and Hell were the two destinations but the area in between served as the neutral ground and those chosen to serve it weren't allowed to move anywhere. They roamed in limbo and worked to help transfer those who were lucky or unlucky enough to move to either Heaven or Hell.

Reapers usually worked in teams but the most common were pairs and amongst the dark colored clad dress attire for work – Vanitas was considered the black sheep as he made it his job to piss off as many people as he possibly could. He enjoyed warding off happy people who were unfortunate to get stuck with him and over time Vanitas turned it into a sadistic little game as he would mark off the days they would survive being his partner in the calendar he had in his room.

Vanitas walked down the dark corridor as he combed his fingers through his black spiky hair as he played with his tongue piercing and turned the corner and twisted the knob as he entered the room. The room was one he'd never forget – it was the place where they all were essentially born from. Once they died in the human world, they'd wake up scared and confused in this room until people much like himself would help the newly departed Reaper and welcome them with arms wide open into their new role in life.

Vanitas wasn't going to do any of that crap as he spoke up, "Get up and let's go" He barked his order as a black wisp appeared from the shadows with piercing golden eyes much like those of its master. He waited for the girl to get up but when she didn't respond, Vanitas rolled his eyes and whispered, "Cerberus, help the girl" He yawned as he rummaged through his pocket and found a cherry lollipop.

The dark shadowy wisp formed into a black wolf as it howled and made its way to retrieve the still sleeping small girl as it bit its fangs into the white dress and dragged her as best as he could. The wolf whimpered when he failed to obey his master's orders as Vanitas sucked on his candy and sighed. Walking up to the girl, he examined her for a brief moment seeing that she was no younger than himself.

Hating to do any manual labor, Vanitas sighed again as he picked up the girl in his arms. The chains of his black jeans jingled as he reposition himself and made his way to his quarters. The girl would be assigned a room of her own as soon as she got acquainted with her new surroundings but for now he was stuck housing this newbie Reaper.

Cerberus howled happily as Vanitas opened the door to his room. He carried the girl home on one shoulder as he used his free hand to flip off anyone who dare question his unorthodox methods of doing things. Vanitas did not play well with others, he thought he made that clear since he ended up as a Reaper, he was pretty sure he would have ended up somewhere else when he died.

His 'room' was more like a mini apartment of his own. It wasn't any different from being alive and he was free to do whatever the hell he wanted without restrictions or limitations. The only common thing about being a Reaper was their job. Everyone worked in different departments and divisions but they all strived for the same thing – helping those fortunate or unfortunate of moving on to the next plane of existence to get there, where ever that place may be.

Vanitas carried the girl into his bedroom and threw her on his black and red argyle patterned comforter. Ignoring the small groan that escaped her lips, he rolled his eyes and walked out. Kicking off his black combat boots, he sat on his black leather couch and unbuttoned his crimson red slim fit shirt revealing the black wife beater he was wearing underneath.

Closing his eyes, he massaged his temples as he figured what he was going to do once the girl fully awakens and wonders where she's been taken. He knew how hard the shock of finding out that you're dead can be on a person – he experienced it himself once upon a time but he wasn't the comforting type. He never was, it's how it landed him dead after all. Vanitas chuckled at his brief dark thoughts still being bitter about how he died. It wasn't so much that he's dead due to what happened but how it happened.

His thoughts drifted off to those dark corners that still lurked in the back of his mind. The dangerous thoughts that used to keep him up late at night. He long since made peace with himself and hey, he finally got a pet once he died so he had no complaints nor regrets. Cerberus came to his side, feeling the inner darkness of his master's thoughts seeping out as he nuzzled his head against his master's hand asking him to pet him. Vanitas obliged as he absentmindedly scratched between his pet wolf's ears as Cerberus happily wagged his tail. He had to come up with a way to not scare the girl and explain her current predicament to her. He couldn't just say, "Hey, you're dead. Now get up and let's get to work, by the way did I fail to mention that you're a Reaper now?" He could say that but he knew that a part of his mind would be nagging him to try to be nice.

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White lilies. The scent was the last thing she remembered and a bright light. The girl remembered being trapped in a totaled car. She remembered not being able to feel her legs and her clothes soaked in blood. She remembered the cries and yelling and the desperate feeling of wanting to escape her metal death cage. She remembered there being gasoline and how it caught on fire and then from there she remembers nothing. Gripping the sheets she realizes that this isn't the steering wheel that she was holding onto. The sheets were soft and they smelled of something masculine. She guessed it was cologne and the scent was intoxicating in itself but her mind went instantly into alert mode. Wasn't she just in a burning crashed car?

Slowly rising from the bed, she slowly opened her hazy blue eyes as she examined the black and red décor of the room. It was definitely a guy's room and if she learned anything in college – it was definitely a bachelor's pad. Yawing she stretched her arms and stopped midway when she noticed that her arms weren't bruised, covered in cuts, or even soot. She was so confused and wondered when she changed clothes from her sneakers, navy blue skinny jeans, and purple long sleeve shirt into a plain white dress with spaghetti straps.

Running her fingers through her short black hair, she sighed, relieved that there were no glass shards. None of this made sense as she got up from the bed and left the bedroom as she took a deep breath and let it out as she braced herself to find a second white tunnel with bright lights. What she discovered outside of the bedroom with the soft bed was a living room with again – that same black and red décor but this time, with a hint of white, gold, and silver here and there.

Tilting her head, she frowned as her bare feet felt the soft white carpet of the living room as she examined her surroundings. She was standing in the living room and a few steps ahead of her there was a black marble island counter with metal bar stools dividing the room in half turning into the kitchen. Past the large divided room there was another hallway that lead somewhere and she was curious to find out.

Smiling, she made her way exploring this – what seemed to be an apartment. She has always been a good girl, staying away from strange men's apartments just like her mother told her but something intrigued her about this place. The mystery of how she even got here and why it was a guy as cliché as it seemed. Walking down the second hall she heard the water running, guessing that said guy could possibly be in the bathroom but before she could get near the door she stopped dead in her tracks as she watched the black wolf guarding the door.

Wolves aren't domestic pets so how was there one in this strange place and why wasn't it attacking her? Surely it could smell her or her fears, she remembered reading about that once. The black wolf stayed calm, closing its eyes as it laid there next to the door waiting for its master to come out.

She was positive that this was a dream and that she'd end up waking up any second now. The wolf yawned and opened one eye revealing a piercing golden eye as it watched her and wagged its tail but still did nothing. Hearing the water turn off, she stood still in the hallway. She has two options staring right at her – she could turn away now and leave the apartment and hope for the best that the wolf wouldn't follow her or she could simply stand there still and wait to see who this guy is and attack him with questions. She opted for the first but when her legs turned into jelly she sighed and had no choice but to stick with the second option.

Gulping she bit her bottom lip as the door of the bathroom opened, letting out all the hot steam. Out came a tall guy with a white towel wrapped around his waist, his left side seemed to have some sort of black tattoo but she couldn't tell as her gaze was transfixed on his build. He wasn't super muscular but he wasn't scrawny either and the way the water dripped down – she had to gulp again before she started to drool. She had little to no experience with guys; she had a boyfriend years ago, sure, but it didn't last long when she saw how much her best friend Namine cared for him, so she let him go.

Now she was faced with a half-naked guy with piercing golden eyes and spiky black hair who was crossing his arms and waiting for her to speak up. "Are you going to stand there looking stupid or are you going to let me pass so I can get dressed?" He asked as she let out a quiet 'eep' and allowed him to pass through as the black wolf barked and made his way, following his master happily.

She made her way back to the living room and sat down on the black leather couch, patiently waiting for the guy to come back out so she could ask him what was going on. She had a strong feeling that she was dead and that all the stories she's heard of the afterlife were all fake. It had to be since that was the only logical reasoning that made sense in her head.

The guy came back out wearing black jeans and a black wife beater. He ignored the girl as he took one of his metal bar stools and sat down as he crossed his arms and deeply sighed. "Look, I'm not the best person for the welcoming committee so here's the deal – you're dead and now you're in limbo. You died in a freak accident so you were chosen to be a Reaper. Congrats" He finished as the girl continued to stare at him.

"So, I am dead" She confirmed, saddened by the news but she was expecting it so it didn't come as a complete shock to her.

"Yeah, and as my partner – I'm stuck housing you until you get enough golden stars to get your own place" He rolled his eyes as he continued, "The hallway with the bathroom has a second room. It's my office but I hardly use it. We'll get you a bed and that'll be the end of it"

She nodded and gripped the loose fabric of her white dress, "Thank you" she said as she closed her eyes. He wasn't the nicest person she's ever met but he was giving her a place to stay in all this confusion about her death – she was more than grateful.

He stayed silent as she opened her big blue eyes and asked him a shy question. She couldn't help but fidget with her fingers as she played with the loose fabric of the dress, "Can I ask you what your name is?"

"Vanitas" He stated as his teeth scraped against his bottom lip, playing around with his snake bite piercing. She nodded and smiled, "I'm Xion" she warmly said, debating whether or not she should shake his hand or something. She really didn't know what to do and the more and more she thought about it – it was just plain awkward being alone with a guy she hardly knew.

"So… umm… this is your place, huh? It's very nice and I see you have a pet wolf, that's pretty cool" Xion blabbered as she tried to fill the silence with noise.

"His name is Cerberus" He flatly said, killing any chance to continue the conversation.

She tried another approach, "So, how did you die?" she innocently asked, she figured that people liked to bond and heal through the same common grounds.

"That's none of your business" He growled, the venom seeping from his sharp tongue as Cerberus growled along with him.

Xion instantly recoiled back into the black couch and stayed quiet. She had nothing else and Vanitas didn't seem like a very social person. She mentally sighed and sat there, letting the awkward silence soon take over them again.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Sleep was evident, even for the dead. Xion didn't know when she fell asleep but she was tucked in on the couch as the air conditioner turned on and off throughout the night. Stirring from her sleep, she mumbled cries and pleas of help. Turning in her sleep, she trembled as she remembered leaving the college campus parking lot and the accident that ended her life. She was on her way to hang out with friends for the weekend when she was called up by her best friend Namine. They were looking forward to hanging out at the pizzeria and then going staying home at Xion's place, watch movies and stay up all night doing things traditional of a sleepover.

The traffic was normal like usual of the time she would always get out and she patiently waited at the red light when the next thing she knew was a chain reaction of cars being crushed and thrown around on the streets. She was in the front of it all and the fear – the fear paralyzed her more than the stabbing pain of her legs and cut body. She could have crawled out of her car if it weren't for her legs being crushed by all the heavy metal and her seat belt restricting her movement.

She didn't know when she got up and made her way into the bedroom she awoke in but the desperate need to seek out warmth clouded her mind. Hot tears trailed down her face as her hand gripped tightly on the blanket she was holding. One strap of her white dress fell off her shoulder as she used her free hand to find her way into the bed with the silently snoring stranger she just met a few hours ago.

The black wisp with its piercing golden eyes just stared as it let the girl get near his master. Vanitas was passed out asleep when he felt a second body get near him and it was freezing cold. He felt her tremble and something hot and wet touched his bare skin as he turned around and opened his eyes to find Xion shaking and crying in her sleep, mumbling something he couldn't understand.

Normally he'd be an ass and wake her up, kicking her out of his bedroom but he knew that he already did a bad job of telling her that she was newly departed. Sighing, he allowed it slide this one time but in no way was he becoming soft. He'd never sink that low.

Vanitas winced at how icy cold she was as he embraced her into his bare chest. He only slept in boxers and pajama bottoms. Xion cried in her sleep as Vanitas heavily sighed and rubbed her back until she finally calmed down and went back to sleep. He was going to have a hell of a time explaining this one in the morning to her; he just knew it.

In the morning, Xion snuggled against the warmth coming from what she thought was a very stiff pillow. When said pillow started to move and groan, her body became rigid as she immediately opened her eyes and found herself spooning Vanitas – the guy that she just recently became roommates with. His bare back against her face and those little disheveled spikes at the base of his neck. A burning bright blush rushed to her cheeks as she let go of him and jumped out of bed. She accidentally smacked him with a pillow when she rushed off the bed.

"What the fff- HELL!" Vanitas yelled, remembering to somewhat have manners as he threw the pillow that just smacked him.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to sleep with you! Oh god, please don't tell me we did anything. I barely even know you! I know I died a virgin but this is ridiculous!" She frantically cried, pacing back and forth as she continued to talk to herself, "What would my mother think! Better yet, can I even get pregnant now that I'm dead? Well logically it'd be impossible but, ugh! I can hear Namine laughing at me now! He smells good and he's pretty good looking but I hardly know him and this isn't what new roommates do! What am I going to do? Wait. Unless this a form of welcoming someone to the afterlife then it should be okay. Right? And wouldn't we have to get married now?" Xion paced the room as Vanitas whistled loudly.

"Hey stupid, are you done?" He asked, getting annoyed and the little bit of patience he even had was thinning.

Xion let out an 'eep' and fixed her spaghetti strap with one hand and the other tried to detangle the knots in her short black hair.

"First of all, nothing happened so get that through your skull. Second, no one's getting married and third – were you this stupid when you were alive or is this just a recent occurrence? When is sex ever the welcoming to anything?" Vanitas got out of bed and crossed his arms.

Cerberus made himself appear as he howled, showing that he was amused, wagging his tail and walked out of the room. Xion bit her bottom lip as she blushed, she was at least thankful that he didn't make fun of her for the most part, besides calling her stupid all the time.

She didn't know how to get herself out of this very awkward situation. She had a bad habit of over reacting and just blabbering on about everything and anything stuck in her mind. "Umm… nice tattoo" She sheepishly commented as he sighed again and walked up to her.

Xion stared at him with big blue eyes, tilting her head and waiting to see what he would do. Their height difference was another thought in the back of her head but she made a mental note to not say anything. He must think she was a weirdo as it were already. Vanitas lightly flicked her forehead when she was lost in her own thoughts.

"Hey space cadet, get dressed. I need to show you around and before you start fantasizing about my hot body – this isn't a date and far from it" Vanitas poked the tip of her nose as he took a black towel and made his way to the bathroom.

Xion was left in the room, standing still and talking to herself. "Huh? What? Him, hot? Psh. Yeah okay" she laughed nervously as she gently rubbed her nose and forehead. The throbbing pain reminding her that he was teasing and being mean to her.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Xion didn't have any other clothes besides the thin white dress she awoke in and it's not like she could continue wearing it; with this in mind, Vanitas reluctantly let her borrow a pair of black shorts, a long baggy red shirt, and a pair of high top sneakers.

The clothes even fit Vanitas really loose and more so on Xion's small frame but it was the best that he could do. She wasn't starting her job as a Reaper just yet so there was no need for her to look her very best.

"Am I in hell? This is hell isn't it?" She asked as he deeply sighed and crossed his arms, shaking his head, "You're more of an idiot than I thought. No, this isn't hell for the thousand time!" Vanitas gritted his teeth and showed her around the Reaper's world.

The realm with no name and just served as a form of limbo was very vast and looked much like earth. The only thing that wasn't the same was the fact that everyone was dead; seeing someone get pushed in front of a moving car as a joke or throwing a knife at someone's head was pretty normal to see. Every occurrences that Xion would have to get used to seeing. The dead were lively and saw past the fact that they were departed.

"So we can eat?" Xion innocently asked as Vanitas nodded, "Just because we're dead, doesn't mean we can't enjoy food. Just don't think of yourself as dead and continue to live life like you did on earth"

"So we can sleep" Xion stated and Vanitas nodded.

"So is there any way I can see how I died?" Xion asked as Vanitas stayed silent. Xion stared at him with big blue eyes. He sighed and replied, "That's not a very good idea so the answer is No"

Xion half-heartedly pouted and crossed her arms. She stayed quiet, lost in her thoughts when it started to annoy Vanitas – having gotten used to her excessive talking and blabbering.

"What?" He asked when he saw the tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "Oh god, did I die because I didn't turn in my library book? I know it was a month overdue, but I'm a college kid, dammit! I shouldn't be punished for this!" Xion whined as the tears came down as she dramatically flailed her arms around.

Vanitas rubbed his temples and deeply sighed, maybe having her not talk was better. "Will you shut up? You're giving me a headache and an overdue library book didn't get you here, idiot. Are you stupid or something?"

Xion chewed on the borrowed red baggy shirt she was wearing, "I never even had a chance to return it!" She wailed as she sniffed, "This isn't going to look good on my record. I'd really end up in hell for this!"

Vanitas was really close to finding the nearest wall and smashing his head in but he knew he'd just wake up again in that very same room where they're all essentially born and have no bruises, cuts, or wounds whatsoever from what self harm he inflicted upon himself.

"Look, no one's going to Hell, got that? You really think you ended up as overcooked bbq over some stupid late book? That's not how freak accidents work here" Vanitas stated as Xion's eyes widened, "Overcooked bbq? You mean… my… body?"

Vanitas groaned, he could be so stupid sometimes. He quit smoking long ago but at this moment, he'd give anything to have a cig so he couldn't say anything.

Real emotionally brought tears stained her cheeks as Xion trembled. The day of her death still very much real in her mind. The screaming, the pain, the leaking gasoline – they were all so vivid as she remembered every small detail. Xion flinched when Vanitas tried to touch her, "Look, I'm sorry okay? I-I-I'm not very good at this" Vanitas tried to apologize, running his fingers through his hair.

Xion stood still and tried to shake her head, "I-It's… fine… I…" she whispered and looked around, seeing the entrance to the park, "…I just need to be alone. Is that okay, for a bit? I just need some fresh air"

Vanitas nodded, "Sure" he said and looked at his silver watch, "Let's meet here again in about an hour. How does that sound?"

Xion tried her best but failed as she gave him a weak smile, "Thank you" she whispered, hugging herself and made her way to the entrance of the park.

"Hey," Vanitas called out, "Take this" he said as he took off his black pea coat and handed it to her. "The park gets pretty windy so just take it" he left her with that and made his way in the opposite direction. A black wisp howling and forming into the loyal black wolf as it made its way with his master, following him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Xion put on the warm coat as she was instantly hit with a strong cologne scent. It was his scent. She could see past that tough jerk like exterior of his because Xion was the type of girl that believed that there was good in everyone. She wrapped the coat around herself, deeply inhaling his scent. Why was he so mean? She didn't mind that he called her an idiot or stupid or anything else but her death – her death was something else.

She still had so many things to do in life, things to accomplish, and life moments to experience. Xion started to mentally apologize to those she loved – her mother for leaving her childless, her best friend Namine for leaving when she promised to one day be her maid of honor at her wedding, and her niece Kairi – oh, how she loved her little niece and now everything she knew was just gone. Gone in the blink of an eye.

Xion only had a few hours since she awoke in this new world, she was so busy in the adrenaline of things that now that she finally had a moment of peace to think – she wondered why her?

She was getting her degree and going somewhere in life. She had yet to meet her prince charming and buy her own house, moving away from her crummy old apartment. She had her little niece under her custody and now that dear child she loved to death would have to go through another great loss.

She had the world and that still wasn't enough.

Xion broke down crying, ignoring the concerned people who would come and rub her back or touch her shoulder, asking her if she was alright or if she needed someone or something.

She did need someone.

Despite only knowing him for less than twenty-four hours, she wish she hadn't ran away from Vanitas.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Vanitas needed a drink. Entering the pub with Cerberus, Vanitas walked up to a bar stool and sat in the front counter. "Give me something hard" he ordered as the bartender nodded and went to fix him a drink. Waiting for his drink, Vanitas heard that same laughing that he knew all too well.

"Hey Vani, it's not even noon yet. What are you doing here? Ditch your new partner already?" The silver haired guy joked as Vanitas took the shot glass that was placed on the counter as he downed his drink and made his way to the table where his friend was sitting.

"No I haven't ditched her" He answered.

"Oh, so it's a girl?" The guy smirked, "You know it's been a while since you've been with a girl"

"Don't you start, Riku" Vanitas warned as Cerberus started growling.

"Hey, all I'm saying is that this might be good for you" Riku shrugged as he took a sip of his foaming beer, "You need to move on and you know it too" he finished as Vanitas tugged on his small black gauge ear piercing, trying not to punch his friend and former partner.

When Vanitas first died and was born in that same room, wearing a pair of white pants and shirt – Riku was the one who went to fetch him. At first he was happy to see someone he knew on earth but then the sudden realization that he had died hit him hard as Riku helped him cope with it all. As thankful as he was for those times of confusion, he was now past it all and remembered just how much of an ass Riku could be. Always teasing him and trying to help him when he didn't want said help – Vanitas couldn't stand it and he wouldn't hear any of it as he made his way back to the counter and ordered a second drink, something stronger than the last.

"What? Leaving already?" Riku asked as Vanitas faced his back to him and flipped him off.

"Get that stick out of your ass, Vani, you know you need to move on from L-" before Riku could finish what he was about to say, Vanitas downed his second shot and shattered the glass on the counter with his bare hand.

"Never. Mention. Her. Name" Vanitas growled as Cerberus growled along with his master and jumped, ready to pounce on Riku.

Riku stayed silent but gave his friend a hard look as Vanitas made his way out. Clenching his fist slowly, he examined his bleeding hand as he ignored the glass shards, the silver ring on his finger now stained in blood. Biting his lower lip, Vanitas drew out blood and licked it away, making his way to wait for Xion by the entrance of the park.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Xion meekly walked out of the park, giving whispery apologies and showing her gratitude to those who helped her and asked her if she was okay. Seeing Vanitas waiting by the entrance made her heart flutter as the blood pooled in her cheeks making her blush a rosy red. She had forgiven him for making her feel sad about her death but now she was just relieved that he hadn't betrayed his word and returned to fetch her.

She looked down as she made her way to him and stopped mere inches away from his taller figure. Cerberus wagged his tail as he reached that gap between the two and lifted his head, asking Xion to pet him as she shyly smiled and did so.

"My face is up here, ya know" Vanitas grumbled.

Xion softly giggled, looking up, "Sorry" she smiled and frowned as soon as she noticed his injured hand that was dripping blood on the cobblestone.

"Vanitas! What happened!" Xion gasped and quickly took his good hand in her icy hand and pulled him to follow her. "C'mon, we need to get home right now! You do have a first aid kit, don't you?" She asked as she tugged him home.

Vanitas smirked and nodded as he let Xion lead him home, wondering if she even remembered where that even was.

Being surprised that she actually did remember, Xion quickly shoved Vanitas into the hallway of their apartment complex when he chuckled and pretended that he couldn't move his legs.

"Seriously, Vanitas, this is no time to be joking around! I need to heal your hand!" Xion struggled as she used her shoulders and back to force him to move an inch.

"I can't move, Xion" Vanitas smirked, crossing his arms.

Cerberus howled, amused that his master was enjoying himself.

"You're such an ass!" Xion groaned becoming tired.

"Oh, I know" Vanitas nodded his head in agreement as he finally took a step making Xion fall flat on her face.

Entering the apartment, Cerberus ran to his bowl and barked for food. Vanitas walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge, using his free hand, he took a bowl with raw meat and placed it on the counter. Xion helped him when he asked her to open a jar of cherries. "Why are you giving your wolf, cherries?" Xion asked as Vanitas smirked and rolled his eyes, "Why else would you give someone something? Because they like it, right?" he countered and had her pour the cherries and juice of the jar onto the raw meat.

Cerberus wagged his tail when Vanitas gave him the bowl. Petting his loyal wolf, Vanitas sighed content and sat on his black couch to relax. He tried not to cringe in pain but his hand was starting to bother him. Minor injuries like these were no big deal and you wouldn't wake up in the special room where they were all born from just because he cut his hand. Only people and Reapers who accidentally ended up killing themselves would respawn in there.

"Hey, Vanitas?" Xion called as Vanitas gave her a simple 'hmm' allowing her to continue, "Is everyone a Reaper here?" she asked.

Vanitas shook his head, "No. You'll be able to tell who's a Reaper and who isn't once you start working. Normally it's young people like us who go out there, the older people usually work in the office departments, some children are Reapers who help other kids and there's a good amount of both people of all ages and children who aren't Reapers. They're just people who chose to stay, didn't want to move on to the next plane of existence so they just chill here. Most of those type are aware of their deaths and refuse to move on while others fear that they won't like the next level" Vanitas shrugged, "Honestly, I don't know why the hell they'd want to stay here. It's a good place, much like earth but you can't deny that curiosity of the next level"

Xion nodded and listened as she took his hand gently in hers. "Yeah, I agree. I kinda wonder what it's like but I'm glad I've made a friend here" she smiled as Vanitas gave her a smug look, trying to conceal his discomfort coming from his hand. Maybe it was a good thing he didn't move on to the next plane of existence, he already did stupid things here as it were, like shattering a shot glass with his bare hand for example.

"So are you going to keep staring at my bloody hand or are you actually going to patch me up?" Vanitas asked, sighing as Xion vigorously nodded her head and ran off searching for the first aid in the bathroom. Coming back out into the living room, she sat on the red coffee table and took his hand in hers again. First she took a pair of tweezers and slowly but carefully took out the glass shards. Examining the wound, she could tell it was self-inflicted but she didn't want to ruin this rare and peaceful moment so she didn't bother to ask. Disinfecting and finally wrapping the gauze around his hand, Xion gently patted his hand, "There, all done" she smiled.

Vanitas kept staring at her, he wasn't used to anyone caring. Being a lone wolf for so long, he had forgotten what it was like to have someone else there. Normally he'd have to pick himself up whenever he'd fall; for a brief moment he thought it wouldn't be so bad to have a partner. Mentally shaking his head, he got off the couch and held his hand against the doorknob, the door leading to his room.

"Thanks. You better go to sleep soon" He told her, twisting the doorknob and making his way inside.

"Why?" Xion asked, pouting. She'd hope she could stay up longer but then again she didn't know what time it even was. Did time even exist here like it did back on earth?

Vanitas called out from his room, "We have work tomorrow"

Xion could just feel the smirked on his lips as she groaned. She guessed her mini vacation was over, recently dying and finding out she's a Reaper. She thought that being dead was supposed to be peaceful and she'd get to do anything her heart desired – guess she was wrong.

"Can't I even catch a break here?" Xion's shoulder slumped as she lazily made her way to her room, down the hallway.

Cerberus howled as Vanitas said, loudly enough for her to hear, "Nope!" entering the living room again, he threw a pillow at her face. "Here, you might want this" he said and slammed the door to his bedroom again.

Xion narrowed her eyes at the door, taking the black pillow as all the lights turned off in the apartment; Vanitas sure was something else.

"Goodnight!" She yelled, finding him annoying when she could hear his chuckling so vividly in her head.

First meeting, eh?

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Done! To be continued.

This took me a couple of days to complete. One of the longest first-chapters I've ever written. Woot!

Originally, this was just going to be a long one shot but then I really go into my little random idea so this will most likely be five chapters or so. Who knows, maybe more – depending on feedback.

If anyone is confused due to the mention of The World Ends With You – the Reapers in this fic are Shinigamis so it's nothing like TWEWY – I was just inspired by that since I love TWEWY just as much as KH.

What will Xion's first day on the job be like? How did Vanitas die? All will be answered soon!

For those reading Your Love Is My Drug – I'm going to update that story next! Please look forward to it and thank you all for being so patient! Chapter five is on its way soon!

Remember to R&R! Plz & Thankies! :]

I don't own Vanitas, Xion, and all other characters used in this fic.

Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix/Disney.

I just own this idea/plot/story/whatever you want to call it~ lol :P


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